NFL told teams to wait before calling draft picks

The NFL did everything it could to add to the drama of their last prime-time television show for a few months, including convincing broadcast partners to not tip picks in advance.

But they also leaned on the membership, to make sure there was plenty of time to whip everyone to a fever pitch.

Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America recounts a story from the Raiders’ draft room, when they realized they were going to be able to draft running back Josh Jacobs. He describes coach Jon Gruden like a Golden Retriever, until General Manager Mike Mayock told him to heel.

The Raiders knew exactly what they wanted to do, after the Eagles and Texans in front of them drafted tackles. But rather than keep things moving, the league put the brakes on teams, for the sake of ratings — even though ratings were down two percent.

Why can’t the NFL let things be? Had they not stretched out all the picks then maybe I would have saw the entire first round of the draft. Instead, I go to bed after my team picks because like most everyone else, I have to get up the next morning.

Dumb move by the league. The media hype from the talking heads is the worst part of the entire production. The LESS time spent with that the better. I ended up hitting mute after about 10 minutes, then changed the channel and followed the picks online after a few more. The NFL draft shows are horrible. I think fans just want to see the picks, their highlight reel, their statistics, and their likely role on the team that picks them. Instead we get a lot of jibber-jabber.

This is why I didn’t watch; too much crap between the picks. It’s easier to watch the scroll on another channel, or just check your phone every few minutes. Greed will eventually catch up with you. Always leave them wanting more, not less.